07/05/2012

New FCC Smartphone Database Cuts Thefts in Six Months But We help You Today

The FCC is announcing that they have decided to partner with the likes of AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, t-mobile and other wireless carriers to create a national database to help thwart the theft of smartphones by making them all but unsellable after a theft.

Uh ... that's good, right?

Sure it is when the newest smartphones cost upwards of $500 or more.

But the real cost of smartphone loss is the loss of the data ... and the person stealing your phone may be only after the data ... and the new FCC smartphone database won't do anything to prevent a thief from stealing your phone if all they want is to steal your data.

Don't Wait for the Feds! Here's How to Secure Your Phone Right Now...

1. Put a password on your phone.

Sure it's a hassle to type in the name of your Aunt's dog into your phone several times a day. But how much more trouble would it be for your friends, relatives, enemies, competitors or the government to be able to access everything on your phone from the moment they "find" it until the moment you realize it's gone?

2. Make sure whatever's on your phone is already in the cloud.

Remember this Google+ commercial from awhile back about the dad who lost all his baby pictures because he lost his cell phone? Your phone (and your desktop computer for that matter) is not meant to be a secure storage device. It's meant to be a simple endpoint to collect data and then get it instantly to a safer place.

3. Use software that "finds your phone or fries your phone"

For as little as three bucks or as much as twenty bucks you can access any number of smartphone applications that can do as little as find a lost phone in vibrate mode, turn a phone into a coldwar-type spy device and/or turn your phone into a useless plastic brick. GadgetTrak, SeekDroid and Webroot are just three of multiple companies that specialize in giving you control over lost phones.

Let a Professional Telecom Agent Help You Choose the Right Solutions

If your're trying to safeguard just one smartphone your task is pretty easy. If you're an IT director trying to safeguard hundreds of company owned phones, or worse yet, hundreds of employee owned phones containing company data, your task can be VERY difficult.

No need to blaze the trail yourself. Give us a call. We'll let you know what our other customers have decided to do and how we've been able to help them. Every business is different though so what works for one firm's smartphone security policy might not work for you.

Give us a call today. We'll help you understand all your options and help you make the right choice for your company. I specialize in helping Southern California business customers in San Diego, Orange County, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ontario and beyond. If we set you up for our free 45-minute consulting call (click here for details) we might be able to solve your problem for free!